Tai Chi News and Research

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Tai chi, which originated in China as a martial art, is a mind-body practice in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Tai chi is sometimes referred to as "moving meditation"—practitioners move their bodies slowly, gently, and with awareness, while breathing deeply.

Experts offer tips for preventing and coping with osteoarthritis

Most everyone is bound to get osteoarthritis -- if they live long enough. That old saying among arthritis experts is backed up by the numbers. The painful and often debilitating joint condition is the most common form of arthritis.

9 Oct 2013

Osteoarthritis and exercise: an interview with Dr Nicola Walsh, Associate Professor at the University of the West of England

Exercise helps to keep the surrounding muscles strong to protect the joint, and also reduces stiffness that people frequently experience in the morning or after periods of inactivity. Joints are meant to move, so keeping them mobile will assist with joint health, maintain range of movement and enhance stability.

7 Oct 2013

Falls can cause problems, but older adults can still maintain an active quality of life

A Saint Louis University School of Nursing faculty member is going to mark the first day of fall with a simple warning to senior adults: Don't let fear of falling stand in the way of being active and engaged with the world around you.

21 Sep 2013

Lifting weights, doing cardio can also keep the doctors away, say researchers

Forget apples - lifting weights and doing cardio can also keep the doctors away, according a new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute.

15 May 2013

Poll shows compelling association between exercise and better sleep

Exercise can affect your sleep. The results of the National Sleep Foundation's 2013 Sleep in America poll show a compelling association between exercise and better sleep.

4 Mar 2013

Tai Chi associated with reduced falls among adult stroke survivors

Tai Chi may reduce falls among adult stroke survivors, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2013.

7 Feb 2013

Integrative Medicine helps people heal faster

The body has an innate desire to heal itself. Encouraging self-healing is the focus of Greenwich Hospital's Integrative Medicine Program.

19 Oct 2012

Roundup: Abortion-rights groups mostly silent on fetal pain laws; Conn. advocates worry over Medicaid cuts; Examining readmission penalties

When new limits on abortions are proposed, abortion-rights groups usually go all out to stop them. So why haven't they gone all out against state fetal-pain laws, enacted in nine states since early 2010? These laws ban abortion after 20 weeks, based on the controversial assertion that the fetus can then experience pain. They're handing victories to anti-abortion groups, and so far there's only one major challenge from an abortion-rights group: in Arizona, where the 9th Circuit Court early this month temporarily blocked the state law.

15 Aug 2012

Mindfulness meditation prevents feelings of loneliness

Many elderly people spend their last years alone. Spouses pass and children scatter. But being lonely is much more than a silent house and a lack of companionship. Over time, loneliness not only takes a toll on the psyche but can have a serious physical impact as well.

15 Aug 2012

Tai Chi improves health and quality of life for COPD sufferers

A new University of Sydney study has found Tai Chi can be an effective form of exercise therapy for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), improving exercise capacity and quality of life.

14 Aug 2012

Montefiore launches first fellowship program in Women's Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Montefiore Medical Center has launched the nation's first fellowship program in Women's Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (WPM&R), and established a new clinical program in this specialty.

6 Aug 2012

Benefits of complementary and alternative medicine for back pain

Got a pain in the neck or back? Relief could be just an adjustment away. In a recent study, "Perceived Benefit of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for Back Pain" (Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, May - June 2010, Vol. 23 No.3), the majority of respondents receiving CAM for back pain reported significant benefits from the various treatments.

29 Jun 2012

Tai Chi increases brain volume and improves memory and thinking in Chinese seniors

Scientists from the University of South Florida and Fudan University in Shanghai found increases in brain volume and improvements on tests of memory and thinking in Chinese seniors who practiced Tai Chi three times a week, reports an article published today in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

20 Jun 2012

Checklist for seniors to reduce risk of falls

For those 65 and older, falling can be fatal; in fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among this age group, and some 40 percent of seniors fall at least once each year. Additionally, one in four who sustains a hip fracture from a fall will die within a year, and another 50 percent will never return to their pre-fall level of mobility.

27 Apr 2012

Tai Chi designed for wheelchair users

An innovative 13-postures Tai Chi designed for wheelchair users is described in the current issue of Technology and Innovation- Proceedings of the National Academy of Inventors.

18 Apr 2012

Tai Chi improves cardiovascular function and body strength in older adults

Exercise which can achieve both cardiovascular function and muscle strength "would be a preferred mode of training for older persons", say investigators.

4 Apr 2012

Tai chi could benefit Parkinson’s disease patients

A new study found that a six-month program of Tai Chi exercises helped people with various stages of Parkinson's disease improve stability, their ability to walk and reduced the frequency of falls.

12 Feb 2012

Older people with visual impairment can benefit from Tai Chi

Practicing Tai Chi improves the balance control of older people with visual impairment demonstrates research published today in Age and Ageing, the British Geriatrics Society's scientific journal.

16 Dec 2011

Study needed to identify most effective exercise to improve balance among older people

Good balance and mobility are essential to help you perform most activities involved in every-day life, as well as many recreational pursuits. Keeping your balance is a complex task, involving the co-ordination between a person's muscles and sensors which detect balance and are part of the nervous system.

9 Nov 2011

APF launches new online educational module on safe use of CAM

The American Pain Foundation (APF) announced the launch of a new online educational module focusing on safe use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as part of its PainSAFE initiative.

5 Nov 2011